September 2019
The Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (RoLAC) programme is working to ensure that people with disabilities have access to justice.
In recognition of the importance of sign language as a major tool in advancing access to justice for the deaf and the realisation of their human rights, RoLAC marked the 2019 International Day of Sign Languages in collaboration with the Nigeria National Association of the Deaf and the National Human Rights Commission.
The UN General Assembly declared September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages in 2017. The aim was to raise awareness about sign languages and strengthen the related status.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognises and promotes the use of sign languages. It suggests that sign languages are equal in status to spoken languages and obligates state parties to facilitate the learning of sign language and promote the linguistic identity of the deaf community.
The highlight of the event was a communique issued by the Nigeria National Association of the Deaf demanding for the implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019.
‘Sign language as an official language is capital for the inclusion of deaf people in implementing and achieving the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities...' Nigeria National Association of the Deaf
